Ethan's hands trembled as he walked toward Cassandra Paige's office. The salary deduction notice had arrived that morning—another blow he couldn't afford. Missing the monthly quota meant his already meager paycheck would shrink further, and with his mounting debts, he had no idea how he'd make it through the month.He knocked on the heavy oak door, his heart pounding. A cold "Enter" was all he got in response.Cassandra Paige sat behind her massive desk, not bothering to look up from her tablet as he entered. The morning light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows cast her in sharp relief—expensive suit, perfect posture, an air of dismissive authority that made the spacious office feel suffocating."Ms. Paige, about the salary deduction—" Ethan began, fighting to keep his voice steady."You failed to meet your quota," she cut him off, still not looking up. "The deduction stands.""Please, I can explain—""Your explanation won't change the numbers, Mr. Moore." She finall
Miranda's ears rang at the impact, but she maintained her cool, with her eyes shining in anger as she comforted herself not to go out of character yet. “You slapped me.” She uttered in disbelief. Cassandra nodded, looking grave. “And I will slap you again for being the worst person I could ever imagine. You had that piece of trash in your hands all along, yet you rallied around me, pretending to forget about it and never mentioning a word. How do you think that makes me feel, huh? Do you think that I am happy with the things that I am hearing? Of course not!” Cassandra thundered. Miranda put her hands down and kept on staring at Ethan who sauntered towards the front of the hall with a small smirk on his face. He loved the fact that he shocked them to the bone and they had no words.Cassandra recovered from the shock first before speaking. “Ethan, you have the guts to show up on my wedding day intending to disrupt the process? How dare you!” “No, how dare you have the right to smac
A day was picked for Cassandra and William’s wedding. It was the talk of the town with many in anticipation about it. “ Are you ready?” Miranda asked, looking at Ethan in the face. “ I don’t know why but I feel a little bit anxious.” Ethan replied. “ You are not tied to the Paige anymore. You are with me now.” Miranda Said with a smile on his face. “ What do you have on Williams Hargrove?” Ethan looked at her. “ Why don’t we make this more interesting?” Miranda said sharply. “ Interesting? How?” “ Why don’t we get married?” Miranda asked, looking at him. “ Married? Why would you want to marry a man with nothing? Look at me.” Ethan said pitifully “ I don’t think I am ready to get married again. Not after what happened to me the last time.” “ I am not, Cassandra and I will never do anything to hurt you.” She said slowly. Before Ethan could move away any further, She planted a kiss on Ethan’s lips. Miranda’s bold move left Ethan stunned, his mind racing with conflicting emotions
“Fine. I will do it,” Ethan said after thinking about it. “That is the spirit,” Miranda said with a wide grin. “Don't worry; I have you. All I need you to do is just make his world crumble. I need him to regret ever double-crossing me,” Miranda said with a wide grin. “ Like I said earlier, what is in it for me?” Ethan asked again. “ What do you want? I know you have been badly hurt. Is it revenge you seek? Or perhaps, money,wealth?” Miranda stared at his face. “ I want both.” Ethan replied sharply. “ Fine, you can have all of it as long as you help me take them down.” She looked at him as she drank the whiskey in front of her. “ Don't you think you need to share your last with me. I told you mine.” Miranda looked at Ethan's face. “ Well, I was wallowing in debt.” Ethan said gently and paused. “ I could start with that, pay off everything. Just a phone call and all of them are sorted out.” “ I don't think there is a need for that anymore. She made sure I didn't have a home to retur
Meanwhile, back at Paige's family, they were all glad. “It's a good thing you got rid of him.” Tiffany said with a wide grin. “Why now?” Cassandra’s father asked, staring at her in the face. “I got what I wanted. I see no reason why I should keep him around.” Cassandra said with a smirk etched on her face. “And what is that?” Frank Paige asked. Cassandra was about to talk when her phone rang. “Is that Williams?” Tiffany asked. Cassandra nodded, getting out of her sofa chair. She walked briskly into the other room, where her parents could hear her giggle with laughter. “Mom, what do you think about planning the biggest wedding in town?” Cassandra asked, staring at her mother. “Did he pop the question? Did he ask you out?” Tiffany looked at her. “Yes, Williams would like to marry me, but of course I need to divorce Ethan.” “Why didn't you think of getting him a divorce letter before you decided to end things with him?” Frank looked at her. “Because the marriage was a scam. I see no
The beeping sound of the machine was the first thing Ethan heard as his eyes fluttered open. The blinding white light of the hospital room made him squint, and a dull pain throbbed through his body. He tried to move, but his limbs felt like lead.A nurse leaned over him, her expression a mix of relief and caution. "You're awake," she said softly. "You’ve been unconscious for two days.""Two... days?" Ethan croaked, his throat dry as sandpaper. He winced as he attempted to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain shoot through his ribs. "What happened?""You were hit by a car," the nurse explained, adjusting the IV line in his arm. "The driver brought you here. You’re lucky to be alive."Ethan's memory was hazy. He vaguely recalled the rain, the blinding headlights, and the sensation of his body hitting the pavement. "Who brought me in?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.The nurse hesitated. "She’s still here, waiting outside. Do you want me to call her in?"Ethan nodded weakly, uns
Everything happened so fast. Both lay on the bed, breathing heavily. Ethan looked beside him to see that Cassandra was fast asleep. He gently got up with a white bedspread around him and walked into the bathroom to have his bath. He looked at her once and again before he drifted into a long sleep. [THE NEXT DAY] The loud noise of Cassandra woke him up. “What did you do to me?” She asked with anger. Ethan yawned; he felt so tired, but the lash he received on his back sent an electric jolt to his brain. He opened his eyes in a hurry. “What is it, Cassandra?” Ethan looked at her. “Are you seriously asking me that?” Cassandra said, fuming in anger. She opened the bedspread again and saw she was naked. “Did we?” She looked at him anxiously.“Are you asking if we had sex?” Ethan asked, not sure of what to tell her. “You know what I mean, Ethan, and don't you play dumb with me!” “You got home yesterday and you were drunk. You asked for this,“ Ethan said immediately trying to defend hims
Ethan looked at Cassandra, and his face went pale. “Slow down, Father.” She said, staring at Ethan. She could see that he was scared. “Can we have a moment to ourselves?” Cassandra looked at her father and then at her mother. “Sure. But don’t forget we have an appointment. Don’t keep us waiting.” Tiffany looked at her daughter before they walked away. Ethan couldn’t hold it anymore. He was like a time bomb waiting to blow up. “What was that?” He looked at Cassandra. “This wasn’t part of the contract, was it?” “Can you keep your voice down?” Cassandra looked at his face. It was evident that she was scared. “Keep my voice down? Did you even listen to yourself? What happened to my bills? Don’t tell me you cut me off simply because I voiced my opinion last night.” Cassandra looked at her feet like some spoiled brat. “Oh my god!. I can’t believe you would do this to me.” Ethan said he was getting fed up already. “It is bad that you and your family humiliate me whenever you feel lik
The house felt suffocated but the idea of him living in the Paige’s family house was more than suffocating for Ethan. He couldn’t move freely in the house without the servants taking down at him. He felt more like a slave in his own house. But it was comforting with the contract he had signed. Ethan knew it was just a year, and it was only a matter of time before it lapsed. He didn’t understand why Cassandra had orchestrated the marriage anyway. All he knew was that he was picked out of many men who were in the company. Ethan was given a post in the organization just to make him look good. Everyone knows that the list meant nothing as Ethan would just sit down ideally without doing anything. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He has had a long day, and he needed all the rest. The door to his room opened gently. He looked at the time and looked back at Cassandra, who was putting on a beautiful velvet gown. He watched her as she took off her clothes. His eyes darted towards
However, Ethan looked at the big house one last time before getting into his car. The thought of saying no to Cassandra Paige was all he could think about. But he was trapped, she was his boss and it was either he said yes or got sacked the following day. He was lost in thought as he drove back to his modest apartment. Everything about Cassandra Paige’s world was different—polished, calculated, and cold. He wondered if he would ever fit into that life. The next day, Ethan received a text from Cassandra. It was short and precise: “We’ll make the announcement tomorrow. Wear something appropriate. No arguments.” Ethan sighed. He had agreed to this arrangement, but Cassandra’s tone already grated on him. She hadn’t bothered to ask if he was ready or comfortable. This wasn’t a partnership; it was a command. He went through his closet, eventually settling on the best suit he owned. It was slightly outdated and worn, but it would have to do. The next evening, Ethan found himself s